Ojibwe legend

Nokomis and the spider: the story of the dreamcatcher

Picture of Ojibwe dreamcatcher

“I spent over 10 years traveling to Native American pow wows across the United States, visiting a different reservation almost every week. Dreamcatchers were everywhere, from grandmother-made heirlooms to commercial versions sold at gift shops. Understanding the difference matters. This article tells the real story.” — Raven SiJohn, AAANativeArts.com (Est. 1999) The dreamcatcher comes from the Ojibwe people, one of the largest Native American nations in North America, and the story behind it is more beautiful than most people realize.…

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The First Butterflies, an Ojibwe legend

The First Butterflies Ojibwe Legend

AUTHOR: Ojibway Oral Story Long ago, when human twins were born to Spirit Woman, she relied on the animals to help her take care of them. All the animals loved the first human babies and did everything they could do to help them. The dog watched over them. The bear gave his fur to keep them warm. The wolf hunted for them. The doe provided them with milk. The beaver and the muskrat bathed them. The birds sang lullabies to…

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Why birds go south in winter

Views: 1970  Ojibwe Legend: Why birds go South in winter Long ago there was only summer. The days were always warm and sunny. Winter and snow were unknown. For the young it was a time of happiness. They played all the time. Animals played with animals. Fish played with fish. Insects played with insects. Birds played with birds. They had many games — hide-and-seek, blind-man’s buff, and tag. They ran races, they wrestled, and they played lacrosse. The lakes, the meadows,…

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Origin of the Ojibwe

According to the Ojibwe oral history, seven great miigis (radiant/iridescent) beings appeared to the peoples in the Waabanakiing (Land of the Dawn, i.e., Eastern Land) to teach them the mide way of life. One of the seven great miigis beings was too spiritually powerful and killed the peoples in the Waabanakiing when they were in its presence. The six great miigis beings remained to teach, while the one returned into the ocean.

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How Rainbows Came to Be

One day when the earth was new, Nanabozho looked out the window of his house beside the wide waterfall and realized that all of the flowers in his meadow were exactly the same off-white color. How boring! He decided to make a change, so he gathered up his paints and his paintbrushes and went out to the meadow.

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